The Tree House

Kids connecting with trees

I remember the tree house we built in my backyard when I was a kid. It was a multiyear summer project. My friends and I were the general contactors. We built it using scraps we could find. It included used lumber of  and pieces of plywood. When we ran out of manufactured wood we searched the forest for useful pieces of material. It was held together with rusty bent nails. As time went on our creation became better.

The picture above looks nothing like our tree house. A dad built this one.

Do kids still build their own tree houses?

When we think about the benefits of trees our mind tends toward a usual list.

• tree clean the air.
• filter the water
• cool our climate
• shelter for wildlife
• raise property values
• they are pretty

While the points are all very true, the list doesn't resonate. The real benefits of trees come from the experiences shared with them.

Some of the real benefits of trees, from a kid's perspective

• explore reality
• a chance to climb
• freedom and imagination

Does your neighbourhood have enough tree houses?

Do your kids climb trees?

Trees Need Space to Grow

Planting trees is important

This Nootka Cypress is doomed.

Planting trees in new development sites

I've rarely heard anyone dispute the fact that trees are good. Yet when it comes to new development sites often the installation of trees and green space is only an afterthought. With increased population density comes decreased available land for trees. Planning for the installation of new trees is another aspect of tree care that will require better planning more attention in the future. 

The Nootka Cypress

Here we have a species of tree that is said to have potential to grow up to 40 meters tall. It possesses proud branches with foliage that swoops gracefully, giving a distinct Pacific Northwest Coast feel. It has become a widely used species in gardens, parks and estates due to its unique characteristics. 

The young tree shown in the image above will most certainly die long before reaching maturity. I would suggest it is unlikely that it would survive a single year. Trees need space to grow.

Conditions required for optimal tree growth

Of course trees need more than just space. Every species has unique needs. The needs are generally a reflection of its climatic, hydrological and geographic origins. Here is a list of the basic requirements for fostering tree health.

• Sunlight
• Water
• Air
• Nutrients
• Support

If any of the basic requirements are not present a tree will not survive. With the exception of sunlight all of these come from the soil. Understanding the importance of soil is the key.  To grow trees we must have ample, living, breathing, nutrient rich soil.

Protect Trees During Construction

Tree Neglect During Construction Kills

This large diameter Western Red Cedar is getting a raw deal.

Common damage to trees during construction

• Mechanical trauma to roots
• Mechanical trauma to trunk and canopy
• Compaction of soil
• Soil grade alteration
• Suffering due to hydrological changes
• Chemical damage

This type of abuse is far too common. The frustrating part about this is that with a little planning damages to trees during construction can easily be avoided. As increasingly more people begin to understand the enormous value that urban trees provide more municipalities are making tree protection planning for construction a priority in the building process. 

Implement a tree protection plan

Step 1 Hire an arborist 

At the design planning stage hire a consulting arborist. Have them compile an arborist report.  This will include an inventory and assessment of all trees on your property. It should also include neighbouring trees that could be impacted. Work with the arborist to determine which trees should be saved and which should be removed. They will figure out the specific needs for protecting each tree and develop a plan to implement when construction begins.

Step 2 Install tree protection

Implement the recommendations of the arborist report. This will include installing tree protection fencing, or barriers. It may also include specific details about activities that may require special attention from the arborist during points of construction. Make sure that you the homeowner, and all site contractors understand that the tree protection areas are not to be disturbed. 

Step 3 Arborist follow up

Connect with your arborist at various points during and after construction. Monitoring your site over time you will discover if the tree protection plan was effective. Very often trees don't show the effects of construction trauma until some years have passed. It's important for the arborist to know if the efforts were successful or not. This will benefit your tree management and it will also provide more depth of experience for the arborist to apply to future jobs. 

Is This a Hazardous Tree

Basic Tree Risk Assessment

Here is a Douglas Fir or Pseudostuga menziesii leaning towards a child's play set and a family home.

Every Tree Is Hazardous

Every tree has the potential to cause harm. It's true, in fact just the other day I was walking down the street minding my own business when bam!@#$!. The side of my head glanced off the stem of a Magnolia stellata. I walked into it knocking my head. Stupid hazardous pretty little tree.

Every tree has the potential to cause harm to a degree. To avoid all chance of harm  we would need to remove all trees. I don't hear anybody supporting that idea. This is where the ISA, Certified Tree Risk Assessor comes in. Every tree is hazardous, but exactly how hazardous is it? 

Tree Risk Assessment Basics

3 basic questions to consider when determining if a tree is hazardous. 

1. Target    What will be smashed if a failure occurs?

2. Size of Part    How big is it?

3. Probability   How likely is this failure?

Consider the leaning Douglas Fir...

1. Target: The tree is leaning over a child's backyard play swing set. If it falls we can be pretty sure about the location it will smash. The swing set would be obliterated and the Doug's top will strike the family's house

2. Size: Big enough. Based on the lean lets consider the possibility of full tree failure. This guy is about 65 cm diameter at breast height, and pretty tall. Full marks for size.

 That takes care of points 1 and 2. Now comes the tricky part.

3. Probability: Keep in mind that determining probability of failure must be based on fact. Though the picture doesn't show it there had not been any recent digging near the roots, nor was there sign of root heaving. We can see the lean. We can see the dead stunted branch pointing upwards. No other defects are visible. Looking up the stem the lean actually self corrects, the tree straightens up.

Should We Cut Leaning Doug Down?

Put yourself in the shoes of the arborist whose job is to determine whether this tree remains or is destroyed. What would you do?